In a configured information network, such as a managed information network, a network fabric, or infrastructure, interconnects network elements, or nodes, for providing various services to end users that are also connected to the network. In a managed information infrastructure, for example, a number of network element nodes contain various instances of installed software applications which are adapted to provide Information Technology “IT” services to the users. Further, each service may include a series of dependencies on other services or other nodes in the infrastructure. The collection of elements defines a configuration of the information network that is often updated to respond to changes in the network, such as for performance improvements, message traffic redirection, and equipment failures.
In a typical information network, the number of interconnected elements can become large, resulting in a substantial number of relationships between the network elements (nodes), the network connections between them, and the application that execute on them. Accordingly, a set of rules may be implemented to identify good or mandatory practices in the network, such as providing a redundant link between critical nodes, or always deploying application A on a node with application B, for example. This set of rules defines a policy that network administrators enforce to maintain the network in a predictable and manageable state. However, identifying and verifying each of the rules across the network may become cumbersome in a large network. Further, the policy including the rules may be driven by external factors, such as corporate directives, security requirements, industry best practices, and Federal compliance laws. Therefore, at any particular site or enterprise, there may be multiple policies to be satisfied, each having a multiplicity of rules in effect.